ABOUT 400 activists rallied on Saturday at Glasgow’s La Pasionaria memorial in a united demand for “welfare not warfare.”

Stop the War Scotland had planned to gather for the event at the Buchanan steps in the city centre, often a focus for protest in the city. But after permission was refused by the authorities, the focus shifted to the Clyde, where dozens once boarded ships to join the international brigades in Spain.

An outspoken critic of the Labour government’s proposals to slash welfare spending, Labour MP for Alloa & Grangemouth Brian Leishman, told the rally: “We are at a crossroads. Do we want to live in a country that prioritises corporate profits and war or do we create the society people voted for last summer and desperately need?